In 203 B.C. Han Xin was made King of Qi by the first Han Dynasty emperor， Liu Bang. His adviser Kuai Tong urged him to break away from Liu Bang and divide the empire together with the kings of Han and Chu， but Han Xin did not accept his suggestion. In 196 B.C. Han Xin was executed for plotting a rebellion. Liu Bang heard that Kuai Tong had urged Han Xin to rebel， so he had Kuai Tong arrested and brought to the capital to be executed. Kuai Tong said to Liu Bang： “When the Qin Dy nasty lost its deer， everybody in the country joined in the hunt for it， but only the able and swift had a chance to catch it. A dog barks at other people， not because they are bad but because they are not its master. At that time I knew only that m duty was to help Han Xin to gain power； I did not know four Majesty. So executing me would be unjust.” There upon， Liu Bang pardoned him.

Later， the metaphor “hunting deer in the central plains”came to be used to describe a struggle for power. Another version is “at whose hand the deer will die is unknown”meaning that the outcome of a struggle or rivalry is still uncertain.